In the Summer of 2009, Nickelodeon Magazine said farewell. The magazine had been a strong supporter of the series, and even published Avatar special editions. With the animated series now over, fans were hoping that the gAang's adventures would continue through the comics.

After an outpouring of fan support, Dark Horse released two "Avatar: The Last Airbender" collections. In 2011, Dark Horse hinted they there were not finished exploring the Avatar universe, they were just beginning. They officially announced their plans to continue the adventures of the original series in graphic novel form.

Gene Luen Yang is the writer for the first 3 graphic novels in this exciting project, but he is certainly not a new comer to this genre. Before "Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise Part 1", Gene wrote and illustrated "American Born Chinese". He has also written and illustrated "Prime Baby", and collaborated with Derek Kirk Kim for "The Eternal Smile", and "Level Up" with Thien Pham.

For fans, his background is impressive, but his most important credential is the fact that he is also a huge fan of the series. Avatarspirit.net had the opportunity to interview Gene recently. Because Gene is one of us, we felt his fellow fans should have a chance to suggest questions for this interview. We posted a request for questions in the forum, compiled suggestions, and selected just over a dozen to pass on to Gene.

Currently, there are many promotions to celebrate "The Promise Part 1". Comic books stores were the first to carry the title (released January 25th). Book stores will have the graphic novel on their shelves by February 7th. As mentioned earlier in the week, Dark Horse Comics is hosting a week long tribute to the series and to its fans. Check out their main page daily to see what event is scheduled and try to participate!

On Sunday, January 28th, Gene will be signing copies of "The Promise Part 1" in Concord, California at Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff. They have quite an event planned for Avatar fans. They will be giving away copies of "The Promise Part 1", "The Art of the Animated Series", and much more. Also, they will host a cosplay contest! For more information, take a look at their Facebook event.

Then, after the graphic novel arrives in book stores, Gene will make an appearance at Fantastic Comics. There he will do a presentation titled "Asian Americans, Airbender and Comics". Gene also has his own Twitter contest. Just retweet this select tweet before January 30th for a chance to win. For the complete details, head over to Gene's Blog.

If you haven't already picked up a copy, there are many comic book stores with the graphic novel in stock. Comicshoplocator.com can help you find one in your area. You can also purchase it online for the February 7th release.

ASN would like to thank Gene and everyone who participated. Enjoy the interview!